I’m Worth It

May 9, 2019 by  
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles

By Heather Arbuckle –

Adorned in high heals, feather boas, and party dresses, my daughters feel beautiful and grown-up as they strut confidently around the living room. They are not inhibited by their dress size and they are not embarrassed about their hair style or color. Embracing their unique beauty, my daughters embrace their individuality. May it always be so.

Watching them takes me back to another time.  How I long to see myself with the eyes of a child. “When did I forget who I am?” I wonder silently as I watch them in awe. Somewhere along life’s journey, I started to see myself  with eyes of criticism and self-loathing. Relentlessly, the world bombards me with images, conceived by my enemy, and designed to erode my self-worth, my eyes deceive me. Commercials for weight loss plans, exercise programs, and cosmetic procedures all point mercilessly at my many flaws and shatter my confidence. Some days, it is enough to send a girl straight to the candy aisle!

UNLESS…I choose to see myself with new eyes. God’s eyes. Now is the time for me to lift the veil of lies designed to hide God’s perspective on my identity. And my daughters will learn by my example. There is no time to waste. I must begin to see myself with new eyes. So, that is what I have been doing this week. During the quiet hours of the day, before the kids rush through the door and the afternoon crazies begin, I have been lifting the veil in search of my true identity.  And this is what I have discovered.

I am…
precious (Isaiah 43:4),
beautiful (Song Solomon 1:15),
chosen (John 15:16),
redeemed (Psalm 71:23),
forgiven (Ephesians 1:7),
accepted(Romans 15:7),
equipped (2 Timothy 3:17),
protected (2 Thessalonians 3:3),
secure (Romans 8:38-39),
and loved. (Jeremiah 31:3)

I am His beloved, “worth far more than rubies.” (Proverbs 31:10) My Heavenly Father considers me so valuable that He sent his only Son to die for me before I ever took a breath. “You’re worth it,” God whispers to my soul. And my heart sours.  Do you know what you are worth? It might be time to look again.

Thank Goodness for Mercy

May 7, 2019 by  
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles

by Susan Dollyhigh –

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV

Moca’s sad, weak eyes looked up at me conveying her discomfort while her head, seemingly too heavy to lift, remained on the floor. My miniature dachshund’s brown tail that usually wagged upon seeing me lay limp. Moca, who had feasted on a delectable baby bird, was now paying the price with what I thought was just a bad tummy ache. After a couple of days with no improvement, I gathered Moca’s ten-pound body and carried her to the car. She lay still in my arms even as I walked into the vet’s office where she usually tried to escape the upcoming torture by running the other way. Upon examining Moca, Dr. Truban diagnosed pancreatitis and immediately hospitalized the sick puppy.

After a week of IV fluids and antibiotics, Moca was allowed to come home but had to return to the vet for weekly check-ups and blood work. Dr. Truban, who’d taken care of Moca, was usually available for these appointments but one day was out of the office and his partner, Dr. Brinegar, filled in for him.

“What’s going on with Moca?” Dr. Brinegar asked as he walked into the exam room.

“Well, Moca ate a baby bird a few weeks ago and…”

Dr. Brinegar’s eyes grew wide with dismay and he looked first at Moca and then back at me. “I love birds,” he said. “In fact, I love those feathered creatures so much I even specialized in birds in vet school.”

Looking at Moca I thought, You, Puppy, could be in big trouble. The man who holds your very life in his hands loves birds. And he knows you ate one.

Knowing that Moca brought this illness upon herself and that she did so by ending the life of an innocent baby bird could have impacted the amount of compassion Dr. Brinegar had on Moca. His mercy level could have plummeted upon hearing this dreadful news. But it didn’t. Dr. Brinegar gently picked up the guilty puppy. “Come here, Girl. Let’s see how you’re doing.” It was soon evident Dr. Brinegar didn’t care what sin had gotten Moca into her predicament; he only wanted to help her get well. Thank goodness for mercy.

Aren’t we glad that the One who holds our very life in His hands has the same kind of mercy on us? In the Old Testament book of Psalms, King David, whom God referred to as a man after His own heart, cried out to God for mercy after a time of great sin in his life. King David’s affair with Bathsheba led to the subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. Sadly, the child born of this affair died and as a result of all of this, King David ended up a broken man. But King David knew his healing could only come from God and he cried out in Psalm 51:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”

When we, like King David, go to the Lord and confess our sin, the details could affect the amount of compassion God has on us. His mercy level could plummet upon

hearing the dreadful news. But it doesn’t. He gently pulls us into his arms. “Come here, my child. Tell me all about it.” It’s soon evident Our Father only wants to heal us from our sin and restore us to a right relationship with Him. Thank goodness for mercy.

Blessings,

Susan D.

Our Father, thank you for Your mercy. Thank you that it is new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, Lord unto us.

The Uninvited

May 3, 2019 by  
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles

By Lori Freeland –

Dinner begins—I look at my watch—now.

Cars have pulled in and out of my neighbor’s driveways for the last half-hour. Babysitters arrive. Smartly dressed couples depart. From my perch on the window ledge, I admire Melissa’s sapphire holiday dress and envy Dawn’s red high heels. Even though I can’t see up close, I’m sure Jen sports glittery earrings to accent her new haircut.

A swift glance down at my black sweat pants and stained white T-shirt is enough to remind me that I’m not going to this holiday dinner.

My husband peeks around the corner. “Let’s go eat sushi at Geisha.”

“Not in the mood.”

He comes to stand behind me. “Fajitas at Cristina’s?”

George and Cathye are last to drive away and I yank the curtains closed with a sigh and shake my head. “I have a stomach ache.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.” His footsteps fade behind me.

We’re good neighbors. We mow our lawn, water our grass, pull our weeds. We drive down the street slowly, constantly vigilant of small children. We pet sit and mail collect. Rescue the occasional dog. We throw an annual barbeque. But tonight, we’re The Uninvited.

I’ve never been The Uninvited.

We must’ve done something wrong. I’m tired of trying to figure out what. Which drives me crazier? That we are the only people on the street not going? Or knowing that The Inviter made up her mind to dislike me, and nothing I do will change that? Maybe I’d feel better if I knew why, even if I can’t fix it.

I drop onto the chaise lounge in the living room and rest my head against the burgundy throw. No matter how many friends my husband reminds me that I have, it doesn’t help tonight. People are mean. I would never treat anyone that way.

The Lord whispers in my ear. “Are you sure?”

I grip the arms of the chair. “I would never be so callous with someone’s feelings.”

The whisper grows louder. “Remember when Caroline struggled with friendships and you told her to adjust?”

Hmmm.

“Remember when Ann mourned a broken relationship and you told her she was obsessed? You said walk away and let it go?”

Uh-oh.

“Remember when Julie shared her feelings of alienation in your old neighborhood and you brushed her feelings off as paranoid?”

I am callous. And mean. I offer my friends paltry words, blow off their feelings when I should encourage and validate them instead.

A tear slips down my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Lord. I didn’t know.”

Until now, rejection has lived outside my world. Or maybe, until now, I’ve been obliviously unaware.

“Be a blessing with your words.” The Lord encourage sme. “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25 NIV).

I long to be refreshed. I want Him to heal the awful ache eating through my heart.

“You be the refresher.”

“Yes, Lord. I will.” I close my eyes and make a note to call my friends and ask their forgiveness—to let them know I finally get it.

My husband leans around the corner with a frown. “Crazy people talk to themselves. You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah.” With a tiny smile, in the midst of tears, I wipe my eyes on the corner of my ratty shirt. “Let me change my clothes and let’s go out for sushi.”

God on the Spot – Part 12: Taking Us into His Presence

April 30, 2019 by  
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles

By Dianne E. Butts –

Besides Christ coming again, God is also still on the hook to take those who accept Him as their God into heaven. There is nothing we can do apart from trusting Christ to make God do this. He made the promises. And in the end it is God alone Who is on the spot to save us and to deliver us from this world into His presence for all eternity. But based on the fact that He has kept every promise whose time has come that He’s ever made so far, as we’ve seen in this series of articles, we can be certain He won’t fail to keep this promise as well.

But until then, we can put God on the spot today. I’m sure you’re asking how can we possibly put God on the spot?

We can tell people about Him. After that it is God Who is on the spot to live up to what we’ve told them.

We can challenge people, but it is God Who is on the spot to convince them.

We tell the truth about Him. He alone is on the spot to prove it’s true.

It’s about His character. If we truly portray His character as He has revealed it to us through His Word, then Bible, then He has to come through (or else His character has changed—and that can’t happen).

We have a responsibility to know Him. Then we tell the truth about Him. At that point, He is on the spot to take that ball and run with it…or not. It is then His reputation on the line. It is His character on the spot. Not ours.

Don’t we say God always answers prayer? If that’s true, then we can tell someone to pray about a problem they’re experiencing and to watch for God’s answer. It is His reputation on the line to answer their prayer.

Don’t we know God always acts in perfect love? Then if we tell others that God will act toward them in love, it is His character that is on the spot.

Don’t we know that God always keeps His promises? Then what promise can you show someone in the Bible today that they can challenge God to keep? It is God Who is on the spot to keep it.

What might happen if we put God on the spot more often? What if we challenged Him to keep His promises? To display His character? To prove He is all He claims?

Wouldn’t we be bolder in our walk with Him and our witness to others?

Wouldn’t we find an incredible freedom to live in that boldness?

Wouldn’t we feel an unexpected and refreshing rest in simply telling the truth about God and then leaving up to Him what He will do with it in the lives of others?

We are not on the spot to defend God. We are not on the spot to prove He exists. We are not on the spot to convince people to know God or trust Him for salvation and eternal life. We are on the spot to live faithfully, trusting Him. How might our lives be empowered if we fully recognized it is God alone Who is on the spot to do everything else?

© 2010 Dianne E. Butts

Dianne has written for over 50 Christian print magazines and seventeen books. Her work has been published in Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Canada, and Korea. You can follow the progress of her current book of true stories of unplanned pregnancy here: www.DeliverMeBook.blogspot.com When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C. in Colorado. www.DianneEButts.com.

« Previous Page